15 UCF football recruits to know for 2027 class

ORLANDO — The UCF Knights will undoubtedly patch holes — lots of them — on the depth chart annually through the transfer portal. However, high school recruiting will remain a valuable, viable option for talent acquisition for Scott Frost and his staff.

Last month, assistant coaches hit the road to meet with their top targets as, internally, the focus shifts onto the 2027 graduating class. There’s no longer a second transfer portal window to worry about, so UCF will spend most of the next six months studying rising seniors from across the country.

“We’re always going to high-school recruit because it’s easier to build a philosophy with guys who you bring in from high school and build up through four to five years within your program,” said Trent Mossbrucker, UCF’s general manager of football player personnel, acquisitions and roster management. “Those older guys can tell the younger guys the stories of, ‘Hey, they asked me to do these things and they took care of me, contractually, at the end of the day.”

So, who are the Knights planning to go after?

After digging through social media, reviewing visitor lists for last year’s seven home games and speaking to people around the program, here are 15 — technically 16 — potential UCF targets to monitor for the upcoming cycle.

Frederick Ards, EDGE, Jones (Orlando, Fla.)

Among Orlando-area players, Ards might top the priority list for the Knights for 2027.

A consensus four-star prospect at a premium position, the 6-foot-5, 231-pounder tallied 73 tackles (22 solo), 13 TFLs and a team-high 11 sacks. Jones advanced to the FHSAA Class 4A championship game, falling 33-28 to Plantation American Heritage.

UCF will have a fight on its hands in order to keep Ards home. He took an unofficial visit to Missouri last month, and both Florida and South Carolina have made stops at Jones’ campus to check in.

Kyren Caldwell, WR, Columbia (Lake City, Fla.)

UCF landed one of Florida’s most dynamic receivers in the 2026 cycle, an Under Armour Next All-America Game commitment from Sarasota Booker’s Tyren Hornes. Frost’s staff has at least one 2027 target in mind a little farther north up I-75.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Caldwell has totaled 80 receptions for 1,248 yards and 13 touchdowns over the last two seasons. Last spring, he posted track times of 11.34 seconds in the 100-meter dash, 23.09 in the 200 and 53.16 in the 400.

Caldwell made game-day visits to UCF, Florida and Miami last season, and he has added offers from Georgia, Maryland, Wake Forest and West Virginia since December.

Anthony Cavallaro, EDGE, Indian Rocks Christian (Largo, Fla.)

Returning to the edge rusher position, Cavallaro is another player UCF’s staff has spent substantial time recruiting over the last year.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pounder holds more than a dozen offers, and he was credited with 60 tackles, 25 TFLs, 12.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries during his junior year. He also plays wide receiver for Indian Rocks Christian, an FHSAA Class 1A playoff qualifier in 2025.

Cavallaro attended Florida State’s junior day on Jan. 17, but he caught two of the Knights’ home games last fall (Kansas and Houston). He told 247Sports’ Andrew Cherico in November that he feels “really welcome” inside the Bounce House.

David Coleman Jr., DB, The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.)

Briefly committed to Wake Forest in October, Coleman has been a frequent visitor to UCF’s campus over the last two years.

In his first year at TFA, after transferring from Sanford Seminole, Coleman registered 27 tackles and eight pass breakups. He was not credited with a touchdown allowed in coverage.

Tulane and UConn verbally offered the 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback since the winter evaluation period opened, adding onto a list that included more than a dozen schools dating back to January 2024 — when Gus Malzahn’s UCF staff issued Coleman his first offer.

Logan Flaherty, QB, Port Charlotte (Fla.)

UCF’s first verbal commit for the 2027 class, Flaherty led Port Charlotte to its first state semifinal appearance as a junior. He completed 60.8% of his passes for 2,636 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions, adding 595 yards and 11 scores on the ground.

Flaherty “had his moments” at the year’s first Elite 11 regional camp in Miami, per Andrew Ivins, 247Sports’ director of scouting.

“He utilizes a longer release, but had no issues making off-platform throws, which reflects what he has put on tape at Port Charlotte the past two seasons,” Ivins said.

Flaherty told Rivals’ Marcus Benjamin that South Florida and Wisconsin are both in contact, but he remains solidly committed to Frost and the Knights.

Mason Hall, TE, Oconee County (Watkinsville, Ga.)

Few tight ends across the Southeast have been more productive over the last two seasons than Hall. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound multi-sport athlete registered 101 catches for 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns as Oconee County went 7-5 and made the playoffs in 2024 and ’25.

UCF entered the race for Hall last June, following his sophomore year. He’s averaging career-highs in basketball this winter as well, scoring 13.1 points and grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game.

Per the 247Sports composite, Hall is a top-40 national tight end prospect. Duke, N.C. State, Pittsburgh and UNLV have issued verbal offers within the past month.

Connail Jackson, RB, Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota, Fla.)

Cardinal Mooney captured its second state championship in three years, scoring touchdowns on all eight of its possessions in the FHSAA Class 2A title game against Bolles in a 52-28 blowout. Along the way, Jackson, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s Offensive Player of the Year, put up video-game numbers in the Cougars’ backfield.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Jackson gained 2,452 yards — at an average of 11.3 per carry — and scored 39 rushing touchdowns. He topped the 100-yard mark in 12 of Cardinal Mooney’s 15 games, racing for 199 and four scores in the championship bout.

It’s hard to go unnoticed when producing at that sort of rate, so naturally college coaches have made their move. Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Liberty, North Carolina, South Florida and UConn offered in January. UCF, meanwhile, entered the picture on Aug. 30 and hosted him for games against North Carolina and Houston.

Josh Johnson, DT, Key West (Fla.)

UCF defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin made a late move on former South Florida commit Noah Mercer in December. The Knights could again reach down to the southernmost point of the Continental United States and grab Mercer’s teammate in the trenches.

Martin visited Key West on Jan. 26 to visit the 6-foot-5, 270-pound junior who played both sides of the ball for the Conchs. Over the past month, Johnson toured Wisconsin for junior day and had in-home or in-school visits with Miami, Illinois, Iowa and West Virginia.

Ranked as the No. 74 overall prospect in Florida by MaxPreps, Johnson is also a state qualifier in the shot put, finishing 10^th in Class 2A with a throw of 14.4 meters.

Niko Kampas, OT, NFL Academy (London, England)

The NFL Academy rolled through UCF for a game-day trip last fall and returned to Florida for a four-day workout at IMG Academy in Bradenton last month. Kampas caught the eye of several programs, including North Carolina, Washington and UCF, with his frame (6-foot-7, 283 pounds) and athleticism.

Born in Germany, Kampas grew up playing volleyball before joining the NFL Academy for year-round training. Though he’s on the raw side, he cracked the Top247 with a four-star ranking, No. 217 overall and No. 23 among offensive tackles for 2027.

Another European tackle to monitor is Hungarian-born Botond Varga from Tabor Academy in Marion, Mass. The 6-foot-8, 310-pound rising senior is a former teammate of UCF signee Amahn Williams, and he watched the Knights defeat Oklahoma State in November.

Kyler Kuhn, IOL, St. Pius X (Kansas City, Mo.)

UCF double-dipped in the Show-Me State in December, signing Platte County quarterback Rocco Marriott and tight end Brooks Hall. And the Knights will compete again for one of Missouri’s best talents in 2027.

Kuhn, a consensus four-star prospect, is a two-time state champion wrestler who first-year offensive line coach AJ Blazek recruited heavily during his time at Wisconsin. The 6-foot-3, 285-pounder attended the Badgers’ Oct. 15 home game against Ohio State, and he made an unofficial visit to Madison four months prior.

Competition for premium linemen is always fierce. Kuhn recently traveled to Penn State for its junior day festivities. Kansas head coach Lance Leipold and Purdue head coach Barry Odom stopped through K.C. for in-school visits. Indiana, Iowa, Kansas State, Nebraska and Missouri are also among the expected contenders for 247Sports’ No. 9 interior blocker.

Hunter Mallinger and Reece Mallinger, IOL, Hamilton (Sussex, Wisc.)

Blazek has toured several corners of the U.S. this month, making stops in South Florida, Georgia, Virginia and Arizona. But it should come as no surprise he also had time to roll through Wisconsin and offer 6-foot-5, 285-pound twin brothers Hunter and Reece Mallinger.

Both are considered consensus three-star prospects. Among the programs that have made verbal offers to the brothers are Maryland, Minnesota, Northwestern, Washington State and Wisconsin.

UCF’s done well with twins in the past, of course: the McCrays, the Griffins, the Hendersons, etc. And the Desir brothers, Darryll and Mandrell, originally committed to the Knights before flipping and later reuniting with Malzahn at Florida State.

David Parson, LB, Douglas County (Douglasville, Ga.)

Parson transferred to Douglas County from Union Grove (McDonough, Ga.) ahead of his senior year. He produced a team-high 136 tackles, including 28 TFLs, six sacks, one forced fumble, one pass breakup and one blocked field goal.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker traveled to UCF last November for the Oklahoma State game. Prior to that, he told On3’s Chad Simmons his priorities included, “building a good relationship with the coaches, getting a good education, having a place where I’m wanted and where I feel valued.”

Kansas State, Georgia Tech and Ole Miss stood out as contenders, along with the Knights, prior to the new year. He’s since added offers from East Carolina, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.

Kaneilius Purdy, ATH, Lake Wales (Fla.)

A three-year starter for the Highlanders, Purdy posted his first 1,000-yard receiving season as a junior. He has accumulated 3,835 all-purpose yards and scored 37 touchdowns in 35 high school games.

Purdy can play a little defense, too, though it’s more likely the 6-foot, 190-pounder will stick as an offensive weapon at the next level. He has snagged two career interceptions, and he broke up two passes in 2025.

On Jan. 7, Purdy put the Knights among his top 10 schools along with Auburn, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

Kaiden Robinson-Vickers, DT, Dunnellon (Fla.)

Listed among the expected visitors on three separate gamedays last fall, Robinson-Vickers stands out among a handful of Sunshine State targets along the defensive line.

In two years as a starter, the 6-foot-3, 260-pounder has collected 117 tackles with 29½ TFLs and 13½ sacks. He played a key role in helping Dunnellon win the inaugural FHSAA Florida Invitational Tournament for Classes 1A through 3A, a postseason event for teams that did not qualify for the state playoffs.

Robinson-Vickers is another target who will be in high demand this spring. Florida and Georgia recently offered, and North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick passed through Dunnellon for an in-person visit.

Omari St. Fort, RB, Atlantic (Delray Beach, Fla.)

Landing an offer from UCF last September, St. Fort has emerged as an early target for position coach Jimmy Beal, who traveled down to Delray Beach for a visit on Jan. 21.

The 6-foot-1, 186-pound St. Fort enjoyed a breakout junior year for Atlantic with 734 rushing yards, 108 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, including a 92-yard kickoff return.

Since then, UNLV, Western Michigan, Samford and Liberty have added St. Fort to their recruiting board and offered on the spot.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF Knights football: 15 recruits on radar for 2027 class